It will be if the State and Federal pollies keep their noses out of the mix and unfortunately that ain't gonna happen. :mad
Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates
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Trackmaster
Member
Particularly State. Reliability of electricity supply will be an interesting issue.
It will be very interesting to discover just what this entails.
Given that the frigates and submarines will both be in continuous build simultaneously you'd have to expect a considerable expansion to allow multiple hulls of each line to be building at the same time though at different stages. The various flyover videos we've seen seem to show that there'll be room for that at least. The fitting out wharf only appears to have room for a Hobart and a half, so it'll need extending too.
I wonder if the expansion will have the foresight to ensure that considerably larger ships can be efficiently built there further down the track? Here I'm not even considering oilers and other secondary roles, but recognising that destroyers and frigates are not getting smaller.
I also wonder if there'll be capacity for minor vessels at all once the frigates and subs are both in production. It seems to me that the flipping of the OPVs to WA after hull 2 portends a shipbuilding axis with minor vessels built there and major vessels in Adelaide.
Interesting times.
oldsig
The fitting out wharf has probably finished the $3.3m expansion already. This entailed lengthening the wharf by 11mtrs at each end to enable 2x DDGs to fit alongside at the same time. The completion is supposition by me because the Brisbane goes into the water on 15th of this month, ie a week today.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/33m-upgrade-to-expand-techports-wharf-strengthen-chances-at-contracts/news-story/5b36ad705926711cb5d6caaf71206551
http://www.australianmanufacturing.com.au/36756/techport-to-undergo-wharf-expansion
Thanks for both links Assail. The first is premium content and unavailable to me but the second is very interesting in its way.
Presumably this is the work mentioned in the Janes article, or some Federal/State co-operation to attain the same goal. It's pleasing for once to see naval shipbuilding works coming along without sensational headlines from one or other vested interest parroting their favourite political talking head in the major papers and TV.
Mind, I'm confident that some journo will shortly call this a "bribe to retain power in SA" by one or other of the major parties.
oldsig
Muar River
Member
The Tobruk was towed out of the Harbour yesterday. Was she the last warship built at the Carrington yard?
Are there photos of the Brisbane prior to launching next week?
And also Success has been in the dockyard for sometime. Is anyone aware of the nature of repairs?
Are there photos of the Brisbane prior to launching next week?
And also Success has been in the dockyard for sometime. Is anyone aware of the nature of repairs?
Because of the extensive involvement of the commonwealth in AWD all parties are well aware of the issues with the Armidales and the short comings at Austal. The OPVs are too critical to leave to chance so by getting ASC up to speed the commonwealth will have a fall back option should the politically motivated move to WA hit problems.
On the expansion of facilities at techport one of the very early realisations was that it would have been cheaper and quicker to have expanded capability at techport to build the keel blocks there than to have paid BAE to rebuild capability at Williamstown. This lesson has been applied to the future frigate program with most work done in house.
Really? We're still quite a way from even knowing which of three bidders will provide the design; has this already been decided?
Thinking here of BAE and the RN T26 which is being mooted to be a distributed build, it seems that at least someone (and any number of self serving politicians) will posit modules being produced elsewhere
oldsig
Having the work spread around the country makes good sense politically and worked well on the ANZACs but proved problematic on AWD. It was a major drain resources' having to send marine surveyors, welding engineers/supervisors/inspectors, paint and piping experts and test technicians to multiple sites .
I certainly agree with this. My actual question though, was whether we know ....
...from some verifiable source, or whether it's your expectation based on common sense (which has frequently been in short supply around these issues) or reliable but un-quotable sources
oldsig
pretty much so, review of shipbuilding done by govt came to the same conclusions as USG did when they were reviewed by Dept of Commerce and USN, and the strategic assessment done on UK Shipbuilding done by the US Dept of Commerce as well
remediation on Willy would be huge, really not worth the coin - and one could argue that it was bought on by themselves
you can only blame the CoA for so much ....
Joe Black
Active Member
Access the Adelaide Now article using the Private/Incognito window with the following link:
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&...CsMLH29K7QSctRxdg&sig2=MBdtBT4LF1JQ6gM2S06uIQ
Boatteacher
Active Member
If that means she's been decommissioned and is off to the breakers (I'm sure it's been mentioned here if so, but I'd forgotten) that's very sad. My professional background gave both my wife and myself a strong historic connection to the yard (and indeed the ship).
But as for being the last, the minesweeping cats were built there after that (in a special attached facility)
John Newman
The Bunker Group
No, she's not going to the breakers, she is going to become a dive wreck:
HMAS Tobruk to be scuttled in waters off Queensland's Wide Bay region - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
I believe that the former HMAS Sydney (FFG 03), is also destined to become a drive wreck like her two earlier sisters, but I don't think there has been a decision as to where exactly yet.
My old boss who is now working future projects at the site. Still catch up with the old gang when I have the chance and it often results in some interesting tidbits. He was actually putting me straight on my mistaken belief the future frigates would be a distributed block build as per AFP FFGs, ANZACs and AWDs.
Thanks Volk
So are you interpreting that feedback to mean that there won't be a distributed block build? Does that, in any way indicate that a future frigate based on the AWD hull is not favoured?
Just some random thoughts
MB
Wouldn't have a clue and I don't imagine anyone on the build side knows as it will be RAN then ADF making their recommendation and government deciding. gf is more upto date on the current selection processes than me, its changed a lot since Abbott pulled CEP out from where the sun doesn't shine.So are you interpreting that feedback to mean that there won't be a distributed block build? Does that, in any way indicate that a future frigate based on the AWD hull is not favoured?
Just some random thoughts
MB
Muar River
Member
Thanks. A sad day for the Tobruk and also sad about the demise of naval shipbuilding in Newcastle. One of the minesweeping cats is permanently moored near the Taren Pt bridge.
t68
Well-Known Member
For those who want to read the article,
Revealed: Senator Nick Xenophon, the staffer and the national security leak
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